Apparatus and method having a cooling material and reduced pressure to treat biological external tissue
First Claim
1. A method to treat a target, comprising:
- applying a device to a biological external tissue, the device having a peripheral border that includes an outer portion that is brought into contact with a first portion of the biological external tissue;
applying a first negative pressure inside the outer portion of the device through a conduit coupled to the outer portion of the device, the device having an inner chamber which is surrounded, at the peripheral border, by the outer portion, and wherein the inner chamber occupies a space above a second portion of the biological external tissue and wherein the first portion of the biological external tissue surrounds the second portion of the biological external tissue;
furnishing a liquid to the second portion of the biological external tissue inside the inner chamber of the device;
applying a second negative pressure, through an opening in the inner chamber of the device, inside the inner chamber equal to or lower than a vapor pressure of the liquid while the biological external tissue is coated with the liquid;
applying an energy to the second portion of the biological external tissue inside the inner chamber; and
causing the liquid to evaporate at least in part via the second negative pressure.
6 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Devices and methods having a cooling material and reduced pressures to treat biological external tissue using at least one energy source are disclosed. The cooling material may be water, ethyl alcohol, and/or any other material having a vapor pressure below atmospheric pressure. The energy source may be incoherent light, coherent light, a radio frequency, ultrasound, a laser, and/or any other type of energy that can be applied through the device. The features of various embodiments of the device include the generation of positive pressure and/or negative pressure through one or more pressure conduits, the application of an object within a recess of the device, and measurements through various sensors on the device. These sensors may be monitored and/or controlled through a display element having rows and columns of pixels on the device. The device may be a handheld device or an add-on to existing devices in some embodiments, and may include skin color sensors, temperature sensors, motion sensors, vapor pressure sensors, material sensors, and/or capacitance sensors.
123 Citations
28 Claims
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1. A method to treat a target, comprising:
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applying a device to a biological external tissue, the device having a peripheral border that includes an outer portion that is brought into contact with a first portion of the biological external tissue; applying a first negative pressure inside the outer portion of the device through a conduit coupled to the outer portion of the device, the device having an inner chamber which is surrounded, at the peripheral border, by the outer portion, and wherein the inner chamber occupies a space above a second portion of the biological external tissue and wherein the first portion of the biological external tissue surrounds the second portion of the biological external tissue; furnishing a liquid to the second portion of the biological external tissue inside the inner chamber of the device; applying a second negative pressure, through an opening in the inner chamber of the device, inside the inner chamber equal to or lower than a vapor pressure of the liquid while the biological external tissue is coated with the liquid; applying an energy to the second portion of the biological external tissue inside the inner chamber; and
causing the liquid to evaporate at least in part via the second negative pressure. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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15. A method of treating an area of biological external tissue having a target using a device, comprising:
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coating a liquid on a second portion of a biological external tissue which includes the target and which is surrounded by a first portion of the biological external tissue; applying a device to the biological external tissue, the device having a peripheral border that includes an outer portion that is brought into contact with the first portion of the biological external tissue; applying a first negative pressure inside the outer portion of the device through a conduit coupled to the outer portion of the device, the device having an inner chamber which is surrounded, at the peripheral border, by the outer portion, and wherein the inner chamber occupies a space above the second portion of the biological external tissue; applying a first positive pressure inside the inner chamber of the device on the second portion of the biological external tissue; applying a second negative pressure, through an opening in the inner chamber of the device, inside the inner chamber to bring the second portion of the biological external tissue closer to the device; forming a pressure equal to or lower than a vapor pressure of the liquid while the second portion of the biological external tissue is coated with the liquid; causing the liquid to evaporate at least in part via the second negative pressure; measuring a blood concentration in the biological external tissue; applying an energy to the target before the blood concentration in the second portion of the biological external tissue returns to at least a normal state; and applying a second positive pressure, through the opening in the inner chamber, inside the inner chamber on the second portion of the biological external tissue to allow the device to be released from the biological external tissue before the biological external tissue is damaged. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
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23. A method for treating a target with a device, the method comprising:
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depositing a material on a second portion of a biological external tissue having the target and, wherein a first portion of the biological external tissue surrounds the second portion of the biological external tissue; applying the device to the first portion and second portion of the biological external tissue, the device having a peripheral border that includes an outer portion that is brought into contact with the first portion; applying a first negative pressure inside the outer portion of the device through a conduit coupled to the outer portion of the device, the device having an inner chamber which is surrounded, at the peripheral borders, by the outer portion, and wherein the inner chamber occupies a space above the second portion of the biological external tissue; applying a second negative pressure, through an opening in the inner chamber, on the second portion of the biological external tissue to bring the second portion of the biological external tissue into contact with a protruding object of the device that is above the second portion of the biological external tissue while the second portion of the biological external tissue is coated with the material; measuring a blood concentration in the biological external tissue; applying an energy to the second portion of the biological external tissue before the blood concentration in the second portion of the biological external tissue returns to at least a normal state, and causing the material to evaporate at least in part via the second negative pressure; and applying a positive pressure inside the inner chamber on the second portion of the biological external tissue to allow the device to be released from the biological external tissue before the biological external tissue is damaged. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25)
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26. A system to treat biological external tissue using a device, comprising:
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means for applying a first negative pressure through a conduit of the device, inside an outer portion of the device wherein the device has a peripheral border that includes the outer portion which is brought into contact with a first portion of the biological external tissue, and wherein the device includes an inner chamber which is surrounded, at the peripheral border, by the outer potion, and wherein the inner chamber occupies a space above a second portion of the biological external tissue that is surrounded by the first portion of the biological external tissue; means for reducing temperature of the second portion of the biological external tissue having a target by depositing a material on the second portion of the biological external tissue; means for applying a second negative pressure, through an opening in the inner chamber, inside the inner chamber of the device equal to or lower than a vapor pressure of the material while the second portion of the biological external tissue is coated with the material to cause the material to evaporate at least in part via the second negative pressure and to bring the second portion of the biological external tissue into the inner chamber of the device; and means for applying an energy to the target before the blood concentration in the area returns to at least a normal state. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28)
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Specification